


An Idiot In Coloured Contacts

by LaughterWrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Eyes, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluffy, Heterochromia, Heterochromia au, Its the soulmate AU with the eyes, M/M, Soulmate AU, everyone is aged down about 3 years, light homophobia, soulmate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2018-11-09 04:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11097096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughterWrites/pseuds/LaughterWrites
Summary: Everyone is born with two different colours in their eyes. The right one is your natural colour, the left belongs to your Soulmate.When you make direct eye contact with your soulmate for the first time, the world stands still. Your eyes turn the same shade and you live happily ever after.Unless you're Keith.Keith saysFuck that noiseand wears color contacts.*RETURNING READERS: CHECK OUT CHAPTER 5! I FIXED IT!!!!!*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes before we start:  
> Most of this was done before anyone had canon ages, so bear with me  
> Pidge is 12 and was moved up several grades  
> Shiro is 18  
> Hunk, Lance and Keith are 15  
> Matt is 17  
> Allura is 21  
> Coran is forever young and gorgeous
> 
> My beta is [Lorical](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorical/pseuds/Lorical)  
> she is a blessing

•••

The whole deal with finding your soulmate is that you're supposed to see your own eyes in theirs. When you see your colour reflected back, the world stops. Your irises seem to spin. All that matters is the other person who has a part of you. You and your soulmate connect in a moment of true, loving bliss. You live happily ever after.

Unless you're visually impaired.

All the poor suckers with glasses can stare at their soulmate's eyes and have nothing happen at all. No magical bond. No touching, world-stopping moment.

The soulmate bond thing requires direct eye contact. Nothing in the way but air.

And why is that?

Because soulmates are bullshit.

If you ask most matched people, they'll look lovingly at their mate with their stupid matching eyes and say nonsensical things, like “What?? No, it's not just about seeing the eyes, you have to feel the connection."

Keith doesn't want to see the eyes or feel the connection.

Keith Kogane has seen dozens of 'Soulmates' in his life. Some seemed truly in love, absolutely perfect for one another. Others cried behind closed doors. Some fought in daylight. Keith had been pretty lucky with foster homes. Most had good people and good couples. The few that were different scared him.

He's only ten when he convinces his foster parents to let him join the National Organization Against Soulmates. By the time he's eleven, Keith has saved up for his first pair of coloured contacts.

•••

There are only two times when anyone will wear coloured contacts. Some oddballs wear them after they've mated for fashion reasons. Un-matched people who wear contacts are almost always part of the National Organization Against Soulmates (NOAS). Usually they wear bright look-at-me-I'm-a-rebel colours. Some people get quite creative about their contacts, but nobody wears blank lenses.

The only time a person's eyes are blank is if their Soulmate died before they met. It's not a fate that anyone, even members of the NOAS, would want to have.

•••

"Oooh, I'm Keith," Lance mocks, waving his hands around, "I don't show my eyes because I'm too scared that my Soulmate would make me cut my shitty haaaaair."

Keith and Lance are walking to Arus Park after school at Garrison Academy of Aerospace Technology. It's the beginning of the school year at the point when the summer gossip has just wound down and the who-matched-who gossip is just winding up. Keith has been at Garrison Academy for about 6 months after changing foster homes and moving right next to Lance, who has since become the bane of his existence. 

Keith rolls his eyes. "Oh yeah, and I'm Lance, I never make eye contact with boys because I’m too scared I'll match with them."

Lance scoffs, shrugging his backpack higher on his shoulders. "Low blow, dude. I'm comfortable in my sexuality," he says with a smile. 

"Uh huh, sure," Keith smirks, stepping hard on a leaf so it crunches under his foot.

"Says Mr. Never-Had-A-Girlfriend-But-Sometimes-Flirts-With-That-Senior-Kid," says Lance, hopping over sidewalk cracks.

"You mean Shiro?" Keith asks. "Gross, dude, I'm practically related to him."

Lance walks backwards in front of Keith, facing his friend. He's still trying to avoid the sidewalk cracks which seems to be a lot more difficult when going backwards. "Has Shiro seen your real eyes?," Lance asks, almost tripping over a stone, "You guys have lived together for months now. You can't always have your NOAS stuff on... right?"

"I take them off to sleep, and I sometimes change out my contacts, but they're pretty much always in. Shiro hasn't seen my eyes, and neither have his parents," Keith says, snickering at Lance's weak attempt at walking backwards. 

He does this every day, you'd think he would get better at it. 

Lance looks confused. "Aren't your foster parents soulmates? What's the point of hiding your eyes?" 

Keith pulls on Lance, making him stumble. Lance moves so they're walking side by side again. "I don't know. To prove a point, I guess," Keith says while kicking a rock.

Lance smacks open the wrought iron gate outside Arus Park. It used to be the campus for Lance's elementary school, Arus Center For Gifted Children, but shut down when all the kids in the area started enrolling at Galra Elementary. Now it's just the park where Lance and his friends meet up after school. "Man, your soulmate is probably so excited to see you," Lance says, "She's all 'Oooh, I wonder who has these...',"He pauses, "Uh... wait, what colour are your eyes, Keith?"

"Dude. That's the whole point of the red lenses, dumbass." Keith rolls his eyes with a smile. 

"Maybe your eyes are actually naturally red. Maybe you found your soulmate but she said, 'Eeeew, gross, what a gay loser!!' and left your sorry ass," says Lance, hopping down into the wood chips.

Keith scoffs, throwing his backpack at the foot of the park's swing set. "Red eyes aren't possible, idiot. I just don't want a soulmate. It's not worth it.”

Lance drops his bag next to Keith’s and hops on one swing. "Purple eyes aren't possible either, but I swear my soulmate has indigo in her irises."

"Indigo is a shade of blue." Keith hops on the swing next to him. "Your soulmate's eyes are blue."

"No, my eyes are blue. Her eyes are purple. Come on, I have like... an ocean in my blue eye. She has a galaxy in her eyes. I swear she has to be the most beautiful girl in the world. I can’t wait to meet her."

•••

That night, when Keith takes out his contacts, he stares at his reflection in the mirror for a minute. He gazes into an eye that holds an entire ocean. He feels like it's smiling at him. Laughing. Keith frowns, scanning his face, doing his best not to look in the other eye. The eye that holds a galaxy inside. The eye that a certain boy has waxed poetic about a million times. The eye that supposedly belongs to a beautiful girl with flowing hair and a stunning smile.

The eye that Lance can never see.

•••

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (It used to say "A beautiful Keith" at one point thanks to my phone being dumb. I would just like to say that although that was an accident Keith is beautiful and nothing will convince me otherwise.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tempory Betas for this chapter:
> 
> [Doggy Says Helloa ](http://instagram.com/doggy_says_helloa)
> 
> [~Snatch Bagger~](http://aminoapps.com/p/mgi7s)
> 
> I hope you guys like chapter 2 as much as chapter 1 ;~;

 

•••

Keith really needs new friends.

Lance was nonstop knocking on his door at six in the morning. Six! Neither had any classes until eight. The school was literally five minutes from their houses. Lance had no reason to be up at six. Shiro and his parents had left the house around five-thirty (like the demonically peppy early risers they were) so Keith, half asleep and dying inside, had to get the door.

"Lance you absolute asshole what are you doing. You sleep more than I do. Go home," Keith grumbles, rubbing his eyes.

Lance chuckles, pushing past him into the apartment. "Sophie woke me up and then I downed a Mountain Dew. Or two. Or six? Can't sleep now, and what else to do other than annoy my favorite friend~"

Keith shuts the door behind Lance and walks into the kitchen. "I'm making myself a gallon of coffee."

"Can I have coffee?" Lance asks from the couch.

Keith grumbles something unintelligible.

Lance groans. "I can't hear you, dumbass."

"Make your own coffee, dickbiscuit!" Keith yells.

"Nooo," Lance whines, "Its too early."

Keith sighs, even though Lance is probably too far away to hear him. "Dude why didn't you just watch TV at home? It's so early I haven't even put in my-"

Oh fuck

The contacts

"Wait!? You haven't put in your-"

Keith sprints down the hallway towards the bathroom. Lance shoots up from the couch and runs after him.

"You can't hide those eyes from me forever, Keith!" Lance shouts, tackling his friend as he reaches the bathroom door.

Keith falls on his stomach with a pained grunt. He curses himself. If he had just been a bit faster he would have made it. Lance shifted so he was straddling Keith's hips. He grabs both of his friend's hands, pinning them against his back.

Keith is fucked.

He pulls against Lance’s grip as well as he can. Lance chuckles as Keith continues to squirm fruitlessly.

‘ _It could be worse_ ’ Keith thinks to himself ‘ _At least he hasn't seen them yet. There's still hope for me to avoid this_.’

"Okay Keith," Lance says "I’ve obviously won. Here's the deal: you agree to show me your eyes, and I'll let you up."

Keith, even with his face pressed to the floor, can hear the self satisfied smirk in that asshat's voice. He groans. "And if I refuse?"

"Then we chill here."

"Works for me."

“Me too.”

•••

"Keith, come on, our first class starts in a few minutes."

"That sounds an awful lot like something that's not my problem."

Lance sighs, standing up. "It's exactly your problem. Get up, I get it, you don't want to show your eyes."

Keith does his best to stand, his legs off kilter from staying on the ground so long. He squeezes his eyes shut and gropes for the bathroom door. "Go to class, Ill meet you there."

"Later Keith!" Lance yells, running out the door.

•••

They both ended up late anyway. Keith mumbles a halfhearted excuse as he sits down. After putting in his contacts he had to rush to get ready. Everything is either rumpled or a complete mess, from his hair to his jeans. He sits in the front, frantically scribbling the notes he missed. Lance is in the back, doing almost no notes and planning on copying off Hunk later.

"Someone's distracted~" Hunk teases, nudging Lance with his elbow. Lance starts, flushing pink.

"W-what? Dude no I was just--"

Hunk smirks knowingly. "Okay, tell me. Who is it? You were staring someone down," he scans the side of the room where Lance was looking. "Let's see... Nyma?"

Lance shakes his head.

"Uhhh..." Hunk clicks his pen. "Swirm? Plaxum?"

Lance looks at his friend incredulously. "Who? Are those even names?"

Hunk shrugs. "They're the girls with the hats shaped like squids. In Keith's Conspiracy Theory club?"

Lance shakes his head again. “Nah, I was just spacing out, you know?”

Hunk nods. “Whatever you say, man.”

Keith rolls his pencil around his desk.

Thinking Keith is cute with ruffled hair isn't gay, right?

Lance is most definitely not gay.

He dated like… one whole girl. And flirted with like four dozen girls. He's not gay.

Lance doodles little eyes on his paper. It's really not that bad to hope Keith is his Match. Some people have platonic soulmates. Maybe even Friend-Rival soulmates.

But it's still stupid to think about.

Whatever though.

Maybe Lance should focus on someone like Nyma.

•••

Later that day, Nyma matches with a Cafeteria Delivery Man’s son, Tollo or something.

The universe is out to get Lance.

•••

“Lance! You're late.” Pidge points out from her perch in a tree.

Lance shrugs. “Yeah. You know me. Detention.”

Keith hops down from his seat on the Arus Park sign. The park is the group’s designated hangout. Garrison Academy is less than a half mile from the park and pretty close to where Keith, Lance and Pidge live. Hunk has quite a walk, actually, but he tends to stay over with Lance anyway.

Keith jabs Lance in the shoulder. “Again? Really, McClain? what did you do?”

Lance looks down shrugging again. “Well… Pidge missed out on Simulator today so I had a temp on communications…”

“Yeah….?”

Lance looks to Hunk who sighs. “He called her a moldy cunt-egg biscuit and she snitched.”

“Anyway!” Lance shouts over Pidge and Keith’s laughter, “What were y’all talking about before I showed up.”

Keith looks at Pidge and Hunk, shaking his head and making every “Shut up” motion he can think of.

“We’re talking about Keith’s halloween party,” says Pidge, shooting Keith a smirk.

“Oh?” Lance smiled, sitting at the bottom of Pidge’s tree, “So what's the plan?”

Keith shrugs, “Not sure yet. Shiro checked with his parents and they said it was chill if I had friends over as long as we were quiet by midnight.”

Pidge twirls a leaf between her fingers. “We’re gonna dress me up as a little kid and you guys are gonna be my ‘babysitters’”

“Oh heck yes!” Lance shouts, “I knew it was worth it having a tiny tot seventh grader in our group.”

“Tiny tot?” Podge squeaks indignantly, “We’re in the same grade!”

“Whatever, 5’2.”

Keith kicks Lance in the shin. “Lance, stop terrorizing the kid, she's getting you candy.”

Pidge flings a stick at Lance, not quite hitting him but still making him jump a little. “So what's the plan on dressing up?” Pidge asks, “And no, Keith, nobody's going to be Mothman this year.”

Keith fakes a single tear. “But no… it's been so long since I’ve seen my lover…”

Pidge rolls her eyes “The rest of us haven't even seen that movie.”

“Aha!” Lance yells, “Ive got it!”

“Uhm… what?” Pidge shoots him a confused look. “You okay, Lance?”

“Yeah I’ve just figured out why Keith wears the contacts.”

Hunk looks confused.

Pidge wonders how she's friends with such an idiot. “Because he's part of NOAS. Did you not… not pick up on that?”

“No I mean-” Lance stammers, “Its like… I bet he actually wears them because he mated with…. Mothman!”

Everyone looks at Lance.

  
“You're an idiot.”

“Thanks, Keith, Love you too.”

•••

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

•••

“For the last time, Keith, soulmates are not a ruse by the government to increase population size. It makes no sense anyway! Aren't all of our issues caused by too big a population?”

“Okay, Lance, but studies show that matched people die faster than unmatched. Maybe matching actually kills us.”

Lance rolls his eyes. Each day when they're walking to school, Keith has a new conspiracy theory to share. Lance has his own theory- that Keith is an alien who was sent down to earth to make humans doubt their leaders until they self-destructed from a lack of control.

“Okay, there is actually no proof that soulmates die faster than the unmatched people.”

Keith whips out his phone, frantically typing. “I will find you the article. You will eat your words, McClain.”

Lance smiles. “Using my last name? I must really be in trouble now. What's the thing that Pidge always says about your batshit articles? Causation is not corroding?”

“That is…. no. That doesn't even make sense. It’s correlation does not equal causation. Just because two things happen at the same time doesn't mean they made each other happen.”

“Exactly! Put away the phone, Kogane.”

Keith huffs, shutting off his phone with a click. “Maybe I'm helping my soulmate by making sure I can't meet him.”

Lance stops dead in his tracks.

“Him…?”

Keith turns around, eyes blown wide. “Oh… uh… I mean… I don't… she or…”

Lance snickers. “Oh my god, you are gay, dude. It's fine. This just means Hunk owes me twenty bucks. Ka-fucking-ching!” Lance pumps his fist, laughing.

Keith shakes his head slowly. “You _bet_ on my _sexuality_?”

Lance shrugs. “Well I mean… _bet_ isn't the right word, _friendly wager_ is more…”

“You’re an asshole.”

•••

Lance is distracted all day in class. Hunk shoots him a concerned look when a teacher has to call his name several times to get attention, but Lance’s mind is too preoccupied to notice.

_He's gay_

_Holy fuck he's gay_

_Am I gay?_

_Fuck_.

•••

“Hey, Hunk?” Lance asks, walking up to his friend after the end of class. His things were shoved haphazardly into his bag, but he needed to catch Hunk before they left.

“What's up? Here to wax poetic about her eye again?”

Lance smiles, shaking his head. “Nah buddy, but I… I wanted to talk.”

Hunk swings his backpack over his shoulder, sighing. “Can’t we talk at Arus? I need to finish something really quick.”

“No way, we can't talk at the park. It's about _him_. We’re talking now, your homework can wait.”

“It's not homework, I just need to finish something for Pidge’s ‘project’. And for the last time, Keith’s not your rival.”

“Uh huh, okay, whatever. He's… he's gay.”

Hunk smiles, shaking his head. “Ah, you knew it, dude! Text me tonight and I'll give you the money tomorrow, as long as Keith can testify to his gay-ness.” He walks out the doorway, and Lance follows.

“That's not the issue. Well, I mean, it is, you do still owe me, but-”

Hunk furrows his eyebrows, slowing his pace to match Lance’s. “Did he make a pass at you? Did he do something… stupid? What happened?”

“A pass? What do you… oh. No? He didn't, no.”

Hunk frowns. “Then what did he-”

Lance shakes his head, fidgeting with the edge of his jacket. “No, no… it's not that…”

“If he did anything, you can talk to me, i'm your best-” Hunk says worriedly.

“He didn't do anything!” Lance shouts, drawing stares from a few people lingering in the hall. “He didn't do anything. I just… I think I might…”

“You might what? Does him being gay make you… uncomfortable? Talk to me, Lance.”

“No! Well... yes? Ugh. I think… I think I like him.”

Hunk shoots him a confused look, and pulls him farther down the hallway to escape the eavesdropping crowd. “Like… friend like, or crush like? Because I honestly don't know how to handle-”

Lance pulls out of Hunk’s grip. “Like…” he gulps, shifting away from a passing student, “kinda crush-like? And you don't need to handle anything, I just needed to tell someone, you know? And you're my best friend. So. Yeah.”

“Okay. You can always talk to me, Lancelot. Now, let's go to Arus, I want to have time to work on homework later. Not to mention Pidge's thing. I bet Keith’s already halfway there. He might even beat us,” Hunk muses, smiling at his friend.

“Aw hell no,” Lance shouts, a determined look overtaking his face as he dashes for the door.

•••

Keith hits his locker. Jammed. Always jammed. Stupid thing. He hits it two more times, but the only results are more creaking. His bag remains trapped.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid lump of metal!_

“...Anything!” someone behind him shouts. Keith turns around, ready to listen for some good drama to tell Pidge about at Arus.

It's Lance. Of course it's Lance. Keith sighs and watches quietly. He’ll mock Lance for this display later. With no shortage of snide comments, of course.

“I might- I....”

_It's half mumble and half yell. A true Lance McClain conversation._

“Gay… blah blah blah… uncomfortable… blah blah blah…”

_Oh, it's about me. Okay. That's fine. This is fine. This is a fine situation._

“No! mumble mumble… like him? mumble.”

_Um._

_What._

“Blah blah crush or blah blah blah handle that...”

_He’s talking about me having crushes. Definitely.  
He’d never…_

_He doesn't even want to admit to being friends with his rival. He has his whole deal with ‘being neck and neck’_

_Yeah_.

 _Haha_.

Keith looks at Lance, who still hasn't managed to spot him. His obliviousness is truly amazing, to be honest. His face was flushed red, looking down. Like he'd been caught stealing from the metaphorical cookie jar. Keith didn't hear what he said next. It didn't matter.

 _Fuck_.

_Does he know?_

He must know. How I put up a fight. How I won't let him see. He knows. Oh god of course he knows. I'm fucked. I'm entirely and utterly-

And then Lance was smirking and running out the door, leaving Hunk to hurry after him. And now Keith was utterly fucked and walking to his doom by himself. He groans, hitting the locker one more time before electing to leave his bag behind. He walks, hands in pockets, to Arus Park.

•••

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who messaged me about beta'ing this fic!! It means a lot ::0 
> 
> The rest of this fic will be beta'd by ~[Lorical](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorical)~ 
> 
> Hopefully I'll start updating faster now that I have an ~Official Beta~ for this story 
>
>> "why do u call proofreaders betas i dont even get it" 
>> 
>> -Mason 
> 
>   


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 4:19 AM and my phone is at 1%  
> I haven't slept in 2 days  
> I'm locked in a basement without a charger (long story)  
> Anyway,, hope i can post before my phone dies

•••

Avoiding the park was sure to bring certain doom. He was always there. Not going would be like admitting he had an issue. He’d confirm any suspicions Lance may have, freak Hunk out and give Pidge some blackmail that the kid honestly did not need. They'd all know that something was up. Keith had no choice but to bite back his anxiety and walk to the park.

By the time he arrives, his palms hurt from how hard he’s been digging his nails in. Usually he wore fingerless gloves that stopped him from hurting himself, but they were against the Garrison’s batshit dress code.

Also, Lance said they looked dumb.

Keith whacks the sturdy wooden Arus park sign and glances around for his friends. They'd usually be by the swings or the really sad sandbox. It's more like a loose dirt hole. Arus needs some work. As Keith scans the park he sees a pile of backpacks by the base of Pidge’s usual tree. Someone giggles in the branches.

_Oh_

He walks over, glancing up into the branches. Pidge is in her usual place (“The perfect spot to see everything and not be seen!”). Hunk is on a sturdier branch, clinging to the trunk like his life depends on it. Keith would bet that Hunk legitimately believes he will die if he falls. Lance is, of course, on the highest branch. He’s flopped over on a pretty big branch. The three of them are in a sort of gossip huddle. Lance is slightly pink, probably from running for a half-mile and then climbing a tree. He’s mumbling animatedly, waving his arms around and smiling. Pidge has a grin on her face that Keith knows all too well. He calls it the “You have no idea how I can use this against you” face. Hunk looks terrified. Keith clears his throat, drawing Pidge and Lance’s attention. Hunk seems to be too distracted by his imminent doom. Pidge shoots Lance a shit-eating grin.

“Well speak of the devil! Hop up, Keith, I think there’s room on Lance’s branch.” Lance glares at her, frowning.

“C’mon Pidge, I wanted to be the highest.” he whines, frowning at keith.

Keith smiles, grabbing a branch and hoisting himself up. “Sharing is caring, dipshit. Scoot before I shove you down.”

Lance sticks his tongue out at Keith, stretching like a cat. “Y’know I would…”

“But…?” Keith asks, reaching for lance’s perch

“But I’m just… just so comfy, you know?” He makes a show of melting back into his place. Keith rolls his eyes, sitting on Lance's legs. Lance squeals. “Ow, owowowow! Move your fat ass, Keef!” he screeches.

Keith just smiles. “What, am I-” he feigns a dramatized gasp, “Oh goodness, am I sitting on you?!”

Pidge laughs. “Guess that works. Anyway, what were you saying Lance?”

Lance looks at her, confused. “Now? Nuh uh, gremlin.”

“For the love of- Don't call me a gremlin. I'm an average height for my age.”

“You're like six,” Lance interjects.

“Lies. Moving on, we need to discuss what we’re doing on Halloween. Hunk had a few ideas.”

Lance looks relieved, for whatever reason. Hunk nods, letting go of his grip on the tree the slightest bit. “A few thoughts. So I noticed that we all have colours that we wear a lot. Like Keith and his thing with red. So I thought we could be like… crayons? Or maybe fruit. But then Pidge came over at 3am to steal my vacuum cleaner-”

“Wait, what?” Keith asks, scooting off Lance.

“You have no proof that was me.”

“We have security cams, Pidgeotto. Anyway, she knocked over my Uno cards. And I was like, yoooo!!! So now we’re going as uno cards. I mean, if everyone’s okay with that…”

Lance sits up and punches Keith in the arm. “I’m up for it. What about you, Keefy?”

Keith shrugs. “Sure, I guess…? Who’s gonna be our Wild Card?”

  
Pidge smiles, twirling her hair. “So, storytime, today Matt and I were walking out of our Communications Technology class when that that one really hot prodigy Senior kid walked by-”

Keith’s eyes blew wide. “Do you mean-”

“Shush Keith, don't interrupt.” Pidge waves her finger at Keith, who flips her off. “Anyway, so this kid walks by and Matt’s all like ‘No homo bro but look at that guy’s ass oh my’. And Matt is loud and stupid so the guy turns around and,” she waves her fingers over her eyes, “Poof! Anyway so Matt’s being all awkward and fidgety and asks the guy to come over on Halloween. Matt’s gonna be the box and that guy just seems like a wild card kinda kid. Also, he’s Keith’s brother.”  
“Oh shit, wait, Shiro?” Hunk pipes up. “That's cool! He can make sure we don't die on Halloween. Like Dad Friend.”

“Noooooo,” Lance whines, “But Hunk is the Squad Daddy.”

Pidge rubs her temples like she has a headache. “Petition to ban Lance from the word Daddy?”

“Signed.”

“Same”

Lance sighs. “You guys are so mean to me.”

Keity shrugs, “You deserved it.”

“Uh hey guys,” Hunk says, standing shakily on his branch, “Wasn't the plan to put Pidge in a mask so we could go trick or treating? Her face kinda gives away that she’s not quite using the kid’s menu anymore.”

“Oh right, thank you for reminding me, Hunk.” Pidge twirls a leaf in her hands, “So the other day I was puttering around online… you know… the usual… and I somehow ended up on Castle Of Lions’ website… and then on their guest list for the halloween event… and somehow Matt, Lance and I were on the guest list with Shiro, Keith and Hunk as our plus-ones… funny, right?”

Lance cackles happily. “Pidge, you evil mastermind! Have I mentioned how much I love you lately? Because goddamn I love you.”

Keith swings over the branch so he’s hanging upside down by his legs. “Why do Hunk, Shiro and I have to be plus-one? Couldn't you get us all actual tickets?”

Pidge shakes her head. “This was easier. Anyway, this way Matt and Shiro can partner up and Hunk and I can be platonic dates.”

Keith pauses. “What about Lance and I?”

Lance smiles at him. “No homo, bro.”

•••

Lancey Lance  
  
Thanks, bro. I owe u one. Ily.    
ew. go to bed, u gay dork  


•••

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phone too almost dead to center all the "•••"s


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE TO RETURNING READERS: This WHOLE chapter was changed!!!! Its so much nicer!!!!!
> 
> Remember that horrible colored text? Remember the eye strain? 
> 
> its gone now. 
> 
> But thats not all! This isnt your typical fake screenshot! Try clicking on a link! Try highlighting some text! Thats right folks, no images here, only hours upon hours of painstakingly coded HTML, made perfect for your reading pleasure. 
> 
> I'll probably update this fic soon, considering all this work is finally done

the coolest kids  
  
**Today** 9:21 PM hey babes, anyone online? **You** changed the group name to **"Keith is an idiot"** discuss. Hunk  
Pidge!!! nooo!!!! dont do that, he cant stick up for himself :( Lancey Lance  
pidg jUSt told me 2 sleep and now y'all r blowin up my phone???? smfh????? mmm??? It was Time for Sleep but I just realized smthn important so sleep can wait Lancey Lance  
Ooooo??? Important??? Hunk  
:0!!!! yes. Here: [Pidge's Super Smart plan To Have The Alpha Phone](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xnaTWnAzfC-SqlxOk0BzSZbSYS_VzWamlBVhYi5LhN0/edit?usp=sharing) ALSKDJHGF WRONG LINK Lancey Lance  
Uh????? Lancey Lance  
Is that a google doc??? Hunk  
It just says "1- ocean 2-borrow phones 3-yeet"????? VGCRDEFCJVV SHHHHHHHH SH WRONG LINK Lancey Lance  
wtf Lancey Lance  
i am Afraid **Lancey Lance** has removed **you** from the group 

Hunk  
  
Please add me back to the group  
  
D':  
  
Fine, fine

Keith is an idiot  
  
**Hunk** added **you** back to the group I lived, bitch Lancey Lance  
Hunk! Traitor! Hunk  
Sorry :T anyway. Here's the link: [Halloween Plan](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yBVDLSrlDn4msEMCW__1puEQv8ZI0Z_lcpDmaV-LOj8/edit?usp=sharing) Lancey Lance ur sure this ones right? ya, ya, just click it. Hunk  
Pidge, you're lucky I love you. whatever do you mean Hunk  
I'll do all the work WOO!! Hunk  
IF you can get your mom's mac n cheese recipe for me. Lancey Lance  
GASP! The secret recipe. known to none but colleen holt mmm no nvm that's cancelled. I found a book costume online we can edit. Hunk  
(cries) Lancey Lance  
waitwait the Castle is like. super fancy, right? what kinda super fancy place has a costume party?? the site says its costume but ya idk how fancy the costumes are supposed to be Lancey Lance  
here here i have an idea. Lancey Lance  
[Fancy Uno Drawing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-dIRExNUHtk1DJ1MAKmLV_mp0tiUFy3x5m6q8oLac-E/edit?usp=sharing) Hunk  
this is the most gorgeous art ive ever seen. thats actually a rly cool idea heckyheck brb just got an email?? Lancey Lance who sends emails?? wtf

Inbox  
  
**From:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**To:** whatkindofpigeon@Voltron.com  
**Subject:** phone in locker  \--------- i locked my phone in my locker. Add Shiro to the gc. His number is (440)555-6578. thanks.  -Keith Kogane  


Sent Mail  
  
**From:** whatkindofpigeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** hahahahahahahaha(...) \--------- hahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahah ahahaha. sure i'll add u just a sec. -Sent From My iPhone  


Keith is an idiot  
  
it was keith. he has shiro's phone.  
**You** added **(440)555-6578** to the group  
Lancey Lance  
hey keith, do u want to see my great plan for our costumes  
(440)555-6578  
no.  
im making your contact name spicy boy, keith  
spcy boyyyyyy  
what's going on with the group chat name.  
spcy boyyyyyy  
Don't change my name, I'm keith  
**You** changed the group name to **Halloween Plans**  
Lancey Lance  
haha spicy boy  
Hunk  
lets get back to halloween stuff pls,,,, we can do headbands like these people: [Uno Costume](https://suburbanwifecitylife.com/diy-uno-costume/)  
Lancey Lance  
looks good to me  
spcy boyyyyyy  
I am not wearing that.  
yes u r  
so its decided  
i can do the headbands  
Hunk  
Lance and I can make the sandwich boards  
Lancey Lance  
why does pidge get the easy job????  
I got the tickets   
fight me  
spcy boyyyyyy  
dont fight her, its not worth it.  
Lancey Lance  
ya haha dont want to hurt the babey  
spcy boyyyyyy  
she will break your arms  
Lancey Lance  
oh.  
Lancey Lance  
whats keiths job  
Hunk  
he can help with the cards  
Lancey Lance  
ok ok  


Hunk  
  
haha Lance is gonna hate that  
ooooof ya he's sending me angry DMs :'( it needs to happen tho. those 2 need to work themselves out!!!  
gl, ur gonna have to be their Adult Chaperone

Halloween Plans  
  
spcy boyyyyyy  
gotta go, yall. shiro needs his phone back.  
Lancey Lance  
yall? yeehaw, cowboy. This ain't texas  
**spcy boyyyyyy** has left the chat  
hunk and i gotta go work on our Project  
Lancey Lance  
why do you always capitalize Project  
Hunk  
bcause thats how important it is  
Hunk  
ttyl lancey  
Lancey Lance  
bye  


Future Husband  
  
hey Matt? this is Shiro, the guy you  
sorry accidentally hit send while backspacing  
I'm the guy you matched with  
Matt speaking. Uh... this is going to sound seriously strange, but my sister and I have synched contacts... The... elipses... make that message... way too ominious...  
I guess she already has your number in her contacts  
Wha,,??  
oh no  
so what earned you the name "spcy boyyyyyy"?  
I think  
I think that could be my brothers fault? cryptic 

•••

Shiro is still tapping away on his phone by 1 am.

1 am is supposed to be Keith Time. But no. Mr. Can't Be Tired At School is still up by witching hour.

When Keith’s brother giggles (an honest to god giggle) Keith decides it's time to take his laptop into the bathroom to watch his conspiracy vids without Shiro’s judgement.

He waits for it to boot up, shoving bottles into the sink to sit on the counter.

Huh.

Eight new emails from Pidge.

Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- Keith we have an issue.  


  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- please please please answer me keith  


  
  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- Please. i know you're awake  
please don't leave me like this.  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- please  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- please please please  
i cant go to anyone else  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- Matt is so happy  
telling him about all this would break  
his heart  
please  


****

Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- PLEASE  
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE  
COME ON KEITH I NEED YOU  
  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- come on.  


Inbox  
  
**From:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**To:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**Subject:** (Null)  \--------- please, respond. Please oh please.  


Keith stares blankly at the messages for a moment. He's never seen Pidge send such frantic messages before. He types his reply quickly.

Inbox  
  
**From:** theheckisaspicyboy@NOAS.org  
**To:** whatapidgeon@Voltron.com  
**Subject:** Im here  \--------- Whats going on?  
Skype me.  


Almost immediately after he sends the email he gets an incoming call from Pidge. He checks his face in the mirror before accepting the call.

The connection isn't perfect, Keith’s wifi sucks, but he can see a blurry Pidge, her face in one hand, a rapidly clicking pen in the other.

“I'm going crazy.” she mutters. “It never mattered, I guess, but it does now.”

“What?” Keith asks, adjusting his laptop monitor. “You're not making sense, what happened?”

She sniffles, raising her head. Her eyes are shut tight, her face red and blotchy from crying. “I never found them.” She opens her eyes, staring at Keith. “And, haha. Now I never will.”

Keith bites his tongue to keep from saying anything, his own eyes widening.

She stares back, her eyes piercing even as her irises have turned stark white.

“My soulmate is dead,” she says, gripping her hair. “Dead, dead, dead, dead.”

•••


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some age info to chapter one's notes   
> and fixed a few big errors 
> 
> Sorry for the wait!!!

Keith raises his laptop, staring at Pidge. She's still clicking away with her pen, the hand in her hair pulling hard.

"Katie. Katie, please, don't pull your hair out. Let's talk this out."

She shakes her head, opening her hand slowly. "Not Katie. I'm- I'm Pidge. I'm not Katie anymore. Only Matt calls me that."

"Pidge." Keith corrects himself, "Pidge, it'll be okay. Do you want to come over here? We should talk face to face."

She shakes her head, the pen click-click-clicking in her hand. "I can't. Matt is here. Matt will see."

"He'll find out sometime. He's your brother, Pidge-"

She leans towards the camera. "Did you know that he spent all day in the bathroom closing one eye and then the other? He's so happy his eyes are finally the same. What would he say if I told him that mine are too? Look at me, Keith. God I'm-" she shakes her head, a broken smile plastered on her face. "I'm a disaster." She takes off her glasses, setting them down where Keith can't see them. He hears a choked sob, but Pidge is still smiling.

"Pidge please talk to me, should I come over there?"

Pidge giggles, then again, louder and louder. "G-get here. Quick."

"O-okay I'll be there in-"

"Soon."

The call cuts out, leaving Keith in the quiet bathroom. He stands from the counter, tucking his laptop under his arm. He roots around in his bathroom drawer for a minute, throwing his laptop and a few bottles of lenses into his bag.

 •••

It's only a five minute walk to Pidge's house, but it's the longest five minutes of Keith's life. He had heard of people losing their match when they're elderly. Like the stories where they still had some hope but realized they'd never meet their match. He'd heard of babies born with blank eyes. That was kind of an anomaly. Nobody was really sure how or why it happened. But before this, Keith had only known a few blanked people. And none of them were as young as twelve-year-old Pidge.

Once he gets to her house he's faced with a problem- how to get in. He can't really knock on the door and expect Mr. or Mrs. Holt to go “Oh! It's so nice to see my twelve year old daughter’s fifteen year old male best friend here, at our home, at one in the morning! Yes, please come in!”

He stands on the front lawn, looking the house up and down. Maybe a window? They all seem locked… and who knows which one could be Pidge’s. Keith groans, facepalming. Pidge was probably having a breakdown only a few yards away but he couldn't get inside to help.

_Bonk._

A pen falls on his head.

He looks up only to see what looks like a crayon hurtling down towards him. He puts up his hands to stop it, but still manages to get whacked directly between the eyes. He rubs his forehead and looks over to the windows, one of which is open. Inside, Pidge waves a marker, pointing to the small garden underneath her. Keith nods, walking under the window. He notices Mrs Holt’s tulips, unfortunately getting a little crushed. He winces but decides to worry about that later. He looks up to the window, where Pidge is holding out a small pyramid-shaped object. Keith is about to move out of its way when Pidge drops it. With a screech he moves to duck and cover, scrambling away from the falling device. When there's no impact he slowly opens his eyes. Hovering in front of him is the… thing. Keith slowly gets to his feet, and the thing stays at eye level. He’s about to yell up to Pidge about her weird tech when he sees her making grabby hands out the window. Carefully he grabs the edges of the little hoverer, turning it around to look at it. It's not really a pyramid at all, more like two pyramids super-glued together. There's a ring of grippy rubber around the edges to hold on to. The front part and sides have blue LED lights. Before Keith can examine it fully the thing lurches from the ground, dragging him with it. He almost screeches, biting his tongue on the way up. Once he's even with the window he climbs shakily inside.

“What… the fuck… was that thing?” He asks, staring Pidge down. Her eyes are even more shocking face-to-face. A creepy white, though not as blank as TV and books like to show. Her irises, once brown and blue, are white with a soft grey ring. Keith can still see where she's looking as she glances him up and down.

She shrugs, messing with the buttons on a remote in her hands. “I dunno. His name is Rover. He's a magnetic hovering device that I built. He only works in a little square outside my window but he's good for pizza. And sneaking people inside.” She walks over to the window, clinging to a curtain and reaching out to grab Rover. As soon as it passes the window the LEDs flicker out and it stops hovering. Pidge grunts with the weight, heaving Rover to a box and dropping him inside.

Keith sighs and hops onto the bed. “So uh… you want… contacts?”

Pidge grabs a pen from her desk, rapidly clicking as she paces the carpet in small circles. “Yes. Please. You brought some, right?”

Keith nods, dumping the bottles from his bag to the bed next to him. “So we can uh… we can make them the same colors as before I think… I have blue and brown and neither are opened. I only have one set of each, though, and they might be a bit brighter than natural.” Keith sorts through the bottles, grabbing the brown and blue.

  
Pidge nods, setting aside the pen as she looks at the contacts carefully. “Matt would notice. What other options do we have?”

“We could put you in red contacts and say you registered with the NOAS.”

“Would that work? I'm no actress.” Pidge puts her glasses back on, staring at Keith with her empty eyes.

Keith blinks, looking down to avoid her creepy stare. “I mean… it seems like our best bet. Let's… show you how to put them in.”

•••

Getting to the bathroom down the hall would have been a hassle, to say the least. Luckily Pidge manages to find a Hello Kitty compact mirror to use. It was buried in the back of her closet, the only mirror in her whole room. Keith sets it up on some books on her desk, completing the makeshift setup.

“You can't let your eyelashes get in the way, pin them to your eyebrow like- no- Pidge you can't-”

“My arm doesn't even bend like that!” she hisses, “You're getting contact solution all over my desk, you jerk.”

“I told you to move your magazines. We’re getting the contact in. Here, let me just-” Keith reaches into his own eye, sliding the contact off his iris and grabbing it. “Okay so see you have to…”

Pidge squints at him. “Look at me.”

Keith blinks, shooting a look at her.

She gasps. “That's a purple eye. Your eye is- your soulmate is Lance.”

Keith’s eyes widen frantically. “What?! No I- They're blue! Eyes can't be purple, they're-”

“You have to… you have to tell him!” Pidge smiles, her blank eyes searching Keith’s face. “He’ll be ecstatic! I mean- I can't find my mate but- heh- I can live vicariously through your guys’ love life!”

“Pidge!” Keith cuts her off, “Pidge no. I can't tell him. Like… it's not even that he might not like me. I don't want him to fall for some fictional soulmate he's built up in his head. I'm not the girl he thinks he's gonna match with. I want someone to like me for me.”

“Well I mean, he doesn't really think his soulmate is-”

“Stop. Whatever you're about to say I don't want to hear it. Don't put him to me, don't do any of that. I'm gonna figure it out, we don't need some kid playing matchmaker.”

Pidge bristles. “I'm not just some-”

“Pidge. Just. Let's put in the contact lens.”

•••

Eventually Keith gets back home. Pidge managed to put the contacts in and take them out enough times for him to be satisfied. Now to sleep before school starts.

To…. sleep.

Keith stares at his ceiling.

Maybe… maybe no sleep.

•••

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important note about contact lens safety!
> 
> Do not share contacts with your friends and do not get contacts from anyone but your optometrist! 
> 
> Regular contacts come in packages that look like fruit cups, if that package is damaged you should not wear the contact lens. 
> 
> In my experience, colored contacts come in a little bottle. If the bottle's seal is damaged or the bottle has no seal you should not wear the lens.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!  
> Sorry for the hella big delay, ya bitch got her heart broken.  
> But uh here’s the long-awaited chapter 7!  
> My beta’s asleep so this is unedited

Keith’s eyes can barely stay open for long enough to get the contacts in. Every time he gets them to stick his eyelids droop and the lense pops back out.

This is the thanks he gets for helping his friend all night.

He considers logging into Skype or something to check on Pidge but decides to instead go make himself some coffee. Well, to be honest, it’s more cream than coffee, but the caffeine is still there. After a quick power nap (that might not have been entirely on purpose) Keith grabs his bag and rushes out the door.

•••

He’s late to first period, which he doesn’t have with any friends, but Pidge catches him during passing period. She looks even more tired than him.

“Did you get any sleep at all?” he says, looking her up and down, from her hair in all directions to her lopsided glasses.

She yawns and blinks a few times. “No. It was awful. I just kept sitting there in front of that little mirror, staring at myself,” she says, rubbing her eyes, “I’m lucky I got the lenses in, they almost wouldn’t go since I was half asleep.”

“Yeah I get it. My eyes kept closing today when I tried to get them in. How are the lenses working?” he asks.

Pidge shrugs and rolls her eyes around. “They’re kinda weird. They’re not uncomfortable, but there’s a red ring around my vision. Plus, I’m scared one’s gonna slip.” she blinks a few times, as if to show the lenses moving, but the contacts don’t budge. 

“Yeah I get it,” Keith says, “I used to be really scared that one would slip around Lance. Luckily, though, nothing like that has happened.” 

Pidge nods. “Yeah they’ll probably stay.”

“Anyway, isn’t your second period over there?” he asks, stopping by the door to his class and pointing down the hallway.

Pidge shrugs and nods. “Yeah but I’m gonna skip class and take a nap in the library. Wanna come with me?”

“I wish, I have simulator and my class is too small to have any temps to cover me,” he says with a frown. “Wish I had the same simulator class as you guys.”

Pidge snorts. “No you don’t, the whole reason Lance managed to get in to ours was because you tested into the advanced class. Anyway I’m gonna go to the library before I pass out in the hallway,” she says, fixing her glasses and walking away, flashing a peace sign back to Keith.

“Have fun.” he mutters, pushing open the doors to the Simulator room.

•••

The Simulator is the pride and joy of the Garrison. Two classrooms of state of the art virtual reality technology for the sole purpose of training tomorrow’s astronauts and explorers of the final frontier.

At least, that’s what the pamphlets say.

In reality, it‘s a two hour class of half humiliation and half brain-frying terror.

The classes are ranked in levels one through five, five being the top performing students and one being the kids who can’t fly it at all. Keith is in class three, and his friends are in two.

Its a simple enough concept: a team of three gets in the machine and completes a mission, then leaves the machine and receives an evaluation. Unfortunately, the missions range from “scary” to “horrifyingly traumatizing” and the evaluations almost seem worse. It’s bad enough to feel like you’re plunging into the void of space with no way to escape. When you’re graded on how useful your horrified screams were to your team’s success it’s all that much worse.

Keith flies better than most in his level, but as a general policy the Garrison doesn’t let students go more than one level higher than the rest of their grade. Because of this rule, most students refer to the levels as “regular” and “advanced”. Regular, of course, is whatever level most of the grade is in. Advanced is the level above that.

Lance, on the other hand, probably should be in level one. It took a last minute opening (in other words:Keith remembering to turn in his Advanced Class paperwork the day it was due) and a petition to the school board (begging several people) to get him into the regular level with Pidge and Hunk. It isn’t necessarily that he’s not good at flying, but he’s godawful at following orders.

•••

It is noticeably more difficult to fly a simulation aircraft when you can’t keep your eyes open. Keith didn’t perform “badly”, per say, but he also didn’t “keep the ship in the air” or “stay awake at the helm”. He’s seen better days.

Leaving the Simulator, he immediately walks to the library. The garrison has an open lunch so Keith is ready to take Pidge with him to get some fast food and discuss everything that happened the night before. Before he takes two steps into the library he sees Pidge talking to Lance. Hunk doesn’t seem to be with them. Keith takes a deep breath and walks over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: this Note section used to have an IG acc but i accidentally deleted the acc so,,,;;; sorry

**Author's Note:**

> First soulmate fic!! Comments are my drug tbh  
> Feel free to fuel my addiction


End file.
